In more detail
A producing relationship is read in the context of the whole chart. Producing more of an element is not automatically the most useful naming choice.
Productive Cycle · Sheng Cycle
The characters
- 相xiāngmutually; one to another
- 生shēngto give birth; to produce
Together, 相生 reads “giving rise to one another”.
Sources
- 三命通会 卷一 · 论五行生克
- Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Wuxing · Section 4: Wuxing During the Han Dynasty and After; mutual production sequence
These terms describe a traditional symbolic framework. Chart interpretation and our naming method remain experimental.